United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. We work to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge, having fled violence, persecution, war or disaster at home. Since 1950, we have faced multiple crises on multiple continents, and provided vital assistance to refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced and stateless people, many of whom have nobody left to turn to. We help to save lives and build better futures for millions forced from home.

Our dedicated personnel work in 135 countries around the world, from major capitals to remote and often dangerous locations. Wherever refugees arrive, we work closely with governments to ensure the 1951 Refugee Convention is honoured. Just over ten per cent of our personnel are based at our Geneva headquarters. Along with the Global Service Centres in Budapest, Copenhagen and Amman, these people provide support for the rest of UNHCR, including key administrative functions. Nearly 90 per cent of our workforce is based in the field, assisting the most vulnerable victims of displacement. Together, as a team, they work hard to help the world’s displaced.